Rugby-Launchbury, Shields likely to be fine for England duty: Young

Forwards Brad Shields and Joe Launchbury should be fine to play for England despite being hampered by injuries, Wasps' director of rugby Dai Young. With England set to begin their Six Nations campaign against Ireland on Feb. 2 in Dublin there were concerns that the pair may miss out but Young said the issues did not appear serious.

Launchbury lasted nine minutes of Wasps' 37-19 Champions Cup loss to Leinster on Sunday before being withdrawn due to a head injury while Shields did not start due to a hip problem. Young said Launchbury, 27, had passed a head injury assessment but did not return due to a stiff neck.

"Basically, he got his head in the wrong position in a tackle and his head hit one of the Leinster player's hips," Young told reporters. "He has had quite a few neck issues in the past, but we don't feel this is anything serious. I would be very surprised if in the next 48 hours he is still struggling."

Young said Shields was left out after the 27-year-old suffered a problem in training. "Yesterday, after the team run, he was doing a few extras and took a knock to his hip and the muscle went into spasm," Young added.

"He is going to be sore for 24 or 48 hours, but we don't see them being a concern for England moving forward." (Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford )